The present invention relates to a device for managing conduits.
Patients with both minor and major illness and injury are often faced with using one or more conduits, such as intravenous (IV) lines, central venous access devices (CVAD), perenteral nutrition (PN) tubes, peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) lines, elimination tubes, chest tubes, arterial lines, mechanical ventilator tubing, drain tubes and all other catheters, as well as electronic, electrocardiogram (ECG), and other types of biosensor wires.
Many patients are anxious about maintaining their conduit(s). Disruption of a patient's conduit can lead to one or more complications. For example, disruption of a patient's conduit can cause: pain; trauma to the surrounding tissue; prolonged healing time; scarring; readjustment of the conduit; replacement of the conduit; infection; interruption of medical practitioners' access to patient information; interruption of patient access to fluids; prolonged hospitalization; and even death.
Disruption of a patient's conduit can also cause accidental exposure to patient fluid and transmittable disease.
Patients with one or more internal access conduits (IACs), such as IV lines or PN tubes, are at risk for infection, which can lead to serious complications such as prolonged hospitalization or death. It is critically important to maintain all IACs with an eye towards preventing infection. Even greater watchfulness is warranted when caring for patients who are at increased risk of developing infection, including: immunocompromised patients (e.g., oncology patients, HIV+ patients, patients receiving long-term steroids), patients with one or more other infections, patients receiving PN, and patients with multiple IACs.
IAC-related infections occur in several different ways, including: contamination of an IAC or associated device by skin flora on insertion; migration down a cannula tract from the skin; contamination of an IAC or associated device during manipulation; or seeding from another site of infection. Rarely, a contaminated infusate may be the culprit.
Practitioners need to assess the IAC insertion site for many symptoms, including drainage, edema, color, and temperature changes, but such assessment is made more difficult when the patient has suffered or fears suffering unintentional IAC disruptions.
Conventional means of minimizing the risk of IAC-related infections include proper hand-washing by healthcare personnel, using maximal sterile barriers at the time of insertion, use of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG)-based skin preparations for insertion and care, careful site insertion selection, frequent inspection to review whether IACs are still necessary, and removing IACs as soon as they are no longer necessary. For additional protection against IAC infections, some facilities use CHG-impregnated sponges at the IAC exit site.
Standards of practice regarding CVADs further recommend the use of a manufactured catheter stabilization device specifically engineered to prevent catheter movement into or out of the insertion site. If CVADs are not sutured in place (a practice associated with additional sources of infection), some securement method must be employed.
Frequently, a patient who must have a conduit in place for an extended period of time may be further compromised by limited mobility, cognitive ability, or coordination. Pediatric patients and patients with cognitive deficits may not understand the need to protect the conduit and may need to be physically restrained to prevent conduit disruption.
Patients in transport, particularly emergency transport, run a significant risk of conduit disruption.
To date, known conduit management devices do not provide a quick, easy, and low-risk way to secure the conduit. Known conduit management devices fail: to permit assessment of an IAC insertion site without risk of disrupting the IAC; to permit assessment of a conduit, including at the site of a conduit management device, without risk of disrupting conduit flow; to keep the conduit secure, even if the conduit is subjected to more than 1.5 pounds of pull; to minimize the steps required to secure the conduit; to permit quick and painless removal of the conduit; to provide a convenient, durable, and easy-to-use device for securing the conduit; to minimize unnecessary and hazardous slack in the conduit; to minimize risk of disrupting the conduit; and to minimize risk of severing the conduit. For example, one conduit stabilization device includes one or more male-female connector snaps that risk disrupting conduit flow or severing the conduit.
There is a need for a conduit management device that allows assessment of an IAC insertion site without risk of disrupting the IAC.
There is a need for a conduit management device that allows assessment of a conduit, including at the site of a conduit management device, without risk of disrupting the conduit.
There is a need for a conduit management device that keeps the conduit secure when the conduit is accidentally pulled or tugged, even if the conduit is subjected to more than 1.5 pounds of pull, and whether used in conjunction with known stabilization methods or not.
There is a need for a conduit management device that minimizes the steps required to secure the conduit.
There is a need for a conduit management device that permits quick and painless removal of the conduit.
There is a need for a conduit management device that is convenient, durable, and easy to use, allowing practitioners to incorporate the device into their standard practices for best patient care.
There is a need for a conduit management device that reduces unnecessary and hazardous slack in the conduit.
There is a need for a conduit management device that minimizes risk of disrupting the conduit.
There is a need for a conduit management device that minimizes risk of severing the conduit.
What is desired therefore is a conduit management device that is easy to use, avoids patient exposure to adhesive, secures the conduit against dislodging, and facilitates assessment of the conduit insertion site.